Collectively Wise

This miracle baby was not supposed to survive.

[Anonymous Personal Story]

I am a 31 year old woman living in central NY, but 5 years ago in Chicago, our son was born.

Unfortunately, for no known or predictable reason (I was even checked the day before I went into labor, and no one anticipated any problems!), he was born two months prematurely and with a blood disorder called hemolytic anemia further complicating the health issues of prematurity, so it was a few days before we could even reach into the little box keeping him alive, find some skin not covered with tubes, wires, cords, monitors, tape, splints and other apparatus, and touch what should still have been inside of me.

It was a week before we could hold him, a blanket tightly swaddled around him, trailing an umbilical cord of electronics that connected him to his new, acrylic womb. It was a solid month of time in the NICU before we could bring him home, even briefly, before his next inpatient stay at the hospital.

Feeling Guilty about Complications in Pregnancy: Jaundice, Cleft Palate, Mental Disability

 [Anonymous Guest Post]

I had to go through a terrible ordeal during my pregnancy as I was affected with jaundice. The fact that the infection occurred right before I delivered my baby affected my new-born adversely as he was born with multiple disabilities.

My baby had cataract in his eyes, cleft palate and lip and an improperly developed brain. My baby went through a lot of suffering as he had to undergo surgeries right after birth. I remember the wailing of my new born child due to unbearable pain he endured right after multiple surgeries.